Something Wicked This Way Comes
by LaylaBinx
Summary: Abe had been missing for three days. Lots of Abe!whump and Abe/Henry bromance! :D
1. Finding Henry

**Hello all! I hope this story find you well :D This is actually a response to a few different prompts over on the kinkmeme but its also an idea I've been playing around with for a while lately. I'll try to update as often as I can but I have classes during the day so it may take a bit longer than usual! Also, I'm kinda mixing book and movie verse a bit in this chapter; basically this is all taking place very shortly after Abe moved to Springfield and before he told Speed about vampires. Hope that's not too confusing O.o Hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing =/**

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Abe had been missing for three days. Three days since he'd walked away from the modest storefront after closing and disappeared into thin air all together. Saturday to Tuesday…three full days of seeing neither hide nor dark hair of the tall, gangly young man who stocked the shelves of the store by day and poured over law books by candlelight at night. Three days and Abe was still gone.

Speed bounced on the balls of his feet, chewing his thumbnail nervously. He kept glancing toward the front door, praying silently that his assistant shop keep would come stumbling through the door with some account of his whereabouts for the fast few days. Sadly, his prayers were never answered; each customer who came through the door, valued though they were, left a bitter, disappointed taste in the back of Speed's mouth because each one was never the one he was looking for.

A coil of anxious energy had wound itself deep into the pit of his stomach, twisting and curling like a serpent writhing its way across a warm surface. He drummed his fingers across the countertops, checked his pocket watch again (the fourth time in an hour), and turned to take a visual inventory of the shelves behind him. Everything was immaculate as it had been the last time he'd checked, every bottle and bag, every jar and jug in the precise order it should be in. Speed couldn't stand it; the perfection reminded him that he was the only one here and that he'd been keeping the shelves spotless ever since Abe's disappearance.

At first he hadn't been worried, he'd simply chalked it up to the whims of a young man in a new town and believed Abe to be off finding some sort of adventure/trouble to get himself tangled up in. He'd had a full lecture prepared for him the following morning when he woke alone, Abe never having returned the night before and leaving him to open the store by himself. His lecture had faded into irritation, then anger, then disappointment, and finally concern. It wasn't right; no matter what Abe had decided to do with his spare time, he was still a very responsible young man and wouldn't shirk his duties to Speed or the store. It had been well over thirty-six hours since he'd last seen him and Speed knew something was definitely wrong.

He'd set out that night after closing, knocking on the door of every tavern and business in the town, hoping for some sign or glimpse of his wayward friend. His search had been fruitless, no one claiming to have seen Abe come by within about a day or two. Abe was well known enough in the town by now to have a fair few citizens who would recognize him as he passes down the street so for no one to have seen him at all for at least two days was an oddity all its own. He vaguely wondered if Abe had left town, perhaps to attend to an ill family member or some other emergency. That idea was quickly erased on the knowledge that Abe would have at least left a note if that had been the case. He would never simply leave town without having a reason for doing so.

Speed even went so far as to visit the jail at that point, wondering, hoping, praying that Abe had simply managed to swim his way into the bottom of a bottle and gotten thrown into a cell to sober up. The cells were empty though, clean and barren and unused for a least a week. The guard had told him he hadn't seen him either but that he would keep an eye out for him and that the best thing he could do was to go back to the store and wait for Abe to return on his own. That had been Sunday night, it was now Tuesday morning and Abe was still gone.

Speed glanced back toward the door again, a nervous habit more than anything now. He knew that no matter how many times he looked at the door, Abe was not about to come strolling through it. He chanced a glance behind the front counter, his eyes landing on one of the leather bound journals that Abe always kept around him to write in. The journal was thick with Abe's notes and observations, his handwriting impeccably neat in some areas and nearly illegible in others. The whole front of the journal was filled with crisply folded pieces of paper with very neat, very intelligent script written on each page. Speed had never met the author of the letters but he recognized his handwriting from the dozens of letters that filled Abe's journals. The handwriting was almost as distinguishable as the person himself though his true identity remained a mystery to Speed.

When Abe had first come to work with him, late one night as they both lay in the still, dark silence of the pre-dawn hours, he'd given Speed very specific instructions. Speed hadn't understood at first, he still didn't really understand now, but now seemed to be the time where the instructions were becoming necessary. Late that night, when there was not a sound but their own breathing, Abe had very calmly and very seriously told Speed that if anything were to ever happen to him, he should locate a man named Henry Sturges and inform him of the incident. Speed had no idea who Henry Sturges was at the time nor did he know why he should be the one to be notified in the event of anything happening to Abe. Similarly, Abe had not been specific as to what exactly might happen to him, what tragedy may befall him that Henry Sturges must be made aware of. It was all very secretive, very conspiratorial, and Speed had been half asleep at the time so he was willing to agree to nearly anything while in his state of half-consciousness. Now that Abe was missing, now that the coil of tension that had taken up residence in his stomach had morphed from simple concern to outright dread for his friend, now Speed felt it was necessary to make contact with this mysterious Henry Sturges.

He walked across to the journal, lifting it from its place behind the counter carefully and glancing back toward the door feeling that the minute he touched the sacred book, Abe would come bursting back through the doors like it had all been an elaborate trick. When nothing happened, when Abe still failed to appear, Speed sighed and untied the twine wrapped around the book, carefully pulling it away and opening it to the first page. Abe's handwriting covered every square inch of the page, the ink dark and vivid against the white paper. Speed didn't read it, he knew it wasn't his place to read another man's secret thoughts, but he flipped through the well used pages until he came across the letters.

Each one was tucked into a page with a corresponding date from which it had been received. Some were old, from several months ago, others more recent and spanning only a few weeks. The most recent one had been from three weeks previously, the address written up in the top corner of the page indicating it had come from a location that was little over a half day's ride from Springfield. Speed pulled the letter from the page, glancing over the contents with the briefest eye to be sure it had come from the correct person. At the bottom of the letter, in very precise print, were the words

_Ever,_

_-H_

There was no doubt in his mind that this letter had come from Henry Sturges; the very same Henry Sturges that Speed had been entrusted to find if ever the occasion arose. Well, the occasion was here, Abe was in trouble and, in Speed's mind, most certainly in danger, and there was nothing else to do but track down this Henry Sturges fellow and inform him of his friend's disappearance.

Speed tucked the letter into his pocket, walking to the back of the store and grabbing his hat and coat. He stepped outside and locked the door behind him, leaving the store and its patrons to their own devices for the day. Henry's letter tucked carefully in his pocket and Abe's disappearance weighing heavily on his mind, Speed set off to find a horse for his journey.

**OOOOO**

The sun was setting by the time he finally arrived at the cabin, the surrounding trees dark and looming overhead. It was silent this far into the forest, the nearest town easily five miles away in any direction. A few birds remained high up in the trees, chirping and singing their last songs of the night while looking down at the black-clad figure on horseback curiously. Speed was alone, unarmed, and beginning to wonder if this wasn't one of the most foolish ideas he'd ever had.

The cabin looked abandoned, the windows dark and the chimney devoid of the smoke that would indicate someone living there. Speed pulled the letter from his pocket again, reading over the address once more and glancing back at the vacant cabin. Surely this was the correct place, it was the only cabin for miles around, but it certainly looked deserted. Speed frowned and dismounted from his horse, tethering the reigns to a nearby tree and approaching the empty cabin cautiously.

The door swung open with a touch, illuminating the dark interior briefly with the dim light from outside. Speed took a wary step inside, looking around the empty cabin cautiously for any signs of life. It was completely barren, nothing but a blank wooden table taking up one corner of the room. The tabletop was covered in a very fine layer of dust and grit and the floorboards creaked and groaned ominously with each step Speed took. His footsteps echoed loudly in the silence of the cabin and he could hear nothing over the sound of his own breathing as he stepped into the center of the room. The fireplace was empty, not even housing the ashes of a fire built long ago, and the air in the room felt stale and heavy like it hadn't been disturbed in a long time.

Speed frowned as he gazed around the room again, taking in the absolute nothingness inside. This had to be the cabin from the letter, it was the only one that matched the address at the top of the page, and yet…and yet there was no one here. The cabin was empty and useless, apparently abandoned and left for the elements to do with it what they willed. There had to be some mistake, perhaps he'd read the address wrong and the cabin was actually located in the complete opposite direction and he had simply been confused and-

"May I help you?"

Speed gasped and whirled around on his heel, his eyes wide and heart pounding rapidly in his chest. There was a man standing in the threshold of the door, his features hidden in shadow and his gaze leveled on the young man standing in the middle of the cabin. He held a small lamp in one hand, the flame low enough to dimly light the dusty floor of the room but not enough to reveal his face or anything else of his appearance. He was dressed in a dark jacket and a dark hat that made him resemble a living shadow more than an actual man. Speed felt his breath catch in his throat a bit.

"I said, may I help you?" The man repeated and Speed felt it would be in his best interest to answer him this time around.

"A-Are you Henry Sturges?" He stammered, inwardly cursing himself for stuttering like an idiot in the presence of this mysterious man.

The man in question cocked his head to one side, regarding the other with something akin to measured curiosity. "I am," he answered simply, taking a further step into the cabin and setting the lamp on the table. The light was now just high enough to reveal some of his facial features and Speed let his eyes roam his face carefully. He was young, only a bit older than Speed himself, with dark hair held back behind the brim of his hat. He was a bit on the short side, well, shorter than Speed himself, but he radiated a kind of power that made the other man keep his distance. Something about him seemed impossibly old, ancient and primordial in a way, and Speed was only very slightly aware that the man didn't cast a shadow across the floorboards of the cabin. "And who might you be?"

Speed was shaken from his thoughts by the realization that the man, Henry, had spoken to him. He cleared his throat, suddenly finding it very hard to speak (something that had _never _been difficult for him) and answered. "My name is Speed…uh, Joshua Speed. I'm uh…well, I'm a friend of Abe's."

"Indeed?" Henry looked at him a bit more carefully now, removing the dark glasses that had hidden his eyes from view. His gaze reminded Speed of one a cat gives to a mouse right before it pounces. "And may I inquire as to the reason behind your visit, Mr. Speed?"

"Um well…it's…it's about Abe, actually. I…uh…" Speed sighed and took a deep breath, settling his nerves and forcing himself to speak more clearly. "Abe told me to come find you if anything ever happened to him and-"

"Has something happened?" Henry's voice cut him off before he had a chance to finish and Speed felt himself swallow convulsively at the sharpness in the other man's voice.

"Well, I don't exactly know…" Seeing the critical look Henry was giving him, Speed hastened to finish his answer. "I mean, I haven't seen him in a few days and its not like him to disappear like this because he's usually very responsible and dependable and he wouldn't just vanish for no reason and-"

"Speed," Henry's voice was quiet and calm but there was an underlying quality to it, a tone that made Speed believe it was entirely possible this man would throttle the answers out of him if necessary. "Tell me what happened."

Speed sighed and looked at him carefully. "Abe is missing and I'm afraid he may in some kind of trouble."

Something impenetrably dark passed through Henry's eyes and if Speed didn't know any better, he would have sworn the other man's eyes went completely black for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice still maintained the measured composure it had before but there was something different to it, a kind of lashing iciness like frost clinging to the blade of a sword. "I see. And when was the last time you saw him?"

"Saturday evening," Speed answered carefully, feeling each word he said held immeasurable importance to the man across from him. "We had closed the store and I asked if he wanted to come with me to the pub down the street. He told me he an errand to run but that he would meet me there. He never came." There was a very slight stiffening of Henry's shoulders but Speed continued undeterred. "I checked all over town, asked everyone I knew if they'd seen him but they all said no. I thought he would return on his own but he never did." Speed shook his head, the twist of dread in his stomach rearing up again as he spoke. "This isn't like him, he's always been very responsible and reliable, and I've never known him to avoid his duties to the store or to his studies. I'm worried for him."

Henry nodded just slightly, his gaze and expression dark in the shadows of the cabin. He was silent for a long time, one hand resting on the tabletop near the lamp. Speed noticed the pallor of his skin, the near translucence of his flesh in the dim light of the lamp but he didn't comment on it. There was something unusual about this man, this mysterious Henry Sturges that Speed had been sent to find. There was something very unusual indeed but Speed knew better than to say anything. This man could be the devil himself but if he could help him find Abe then Speed didn't care; in fact, he'd gladly shake his hand when it was all said and done.

"Very well," Henry said softly, his voice causing Speed to jump just slightly. His tone was cold and calculating, determined and, worst of all, angry. Speed knew then and there that he never wanted to be near this man when he was crossed. "Thank you for informing me of this matter, Mr. Speed. I shall see to it immediately." Henry turned on his heel and exited the cabin, his dark coat and hat blending in with the deepening shadows outside.

The lamp was left on the table, the flame flickering faintly, and Speed was left speechlessly in the middle of the cabin. When he finally found the ability to move again, he rushed toward the door, stepping out into the darkened trees surrounding the cabin. "Wait a minute! Where are you-"

There was nothing and no one there, the forest devoid of all human life except for himself. He looked left and right, peered into the trees and strained his eyes so hard he developed a headache but he could see nothing. There was no Henry, no silhouette, barely even any footprints to indicate he'd been there at all. It was as if he'd simply vanished into thin air.

Speed felt a chill ripple through him that had nothing to do with the cold gusts of wind that were now winding their way through the trees. He glanced around again, pulling his jacket closer to himself and feeling a prickle of apprehension crawl up the back of his neck. He started back out to his horse, stopped, doubled back and retrieved the lamp from the table in the cabin. He fed the flame, making the lamp burn brighter, and pulled himself back up onto the saddle. He felt like he'd just made a deal with the devil. Another chill raced through him and he spurred his horse, pushing it to go faster and put as much distance between himself and that empty cabin and its mysterious inhabitant as possible.

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**More to come soon! :D**


	2. Trial By Fire

**Hello all! Here's the next chapter I promised! Okay, so I know Henry developed a pretty bad rep in the book and the movie but we're going to go out on a limb here and say that not every vampire knew who he was. It adds for dramatic effect ^.- Hope you all enjoy it! :D**

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Henry walked silently along the sidewalk, his body blending seamlessly in and out of the shadows as he passed. A few rats scurried down an empty alley, pursued by a cat looking for a late night meal. Down the way, at the corner where two streets met, a tavern was open late to accommodate for the nocturnal citizens who were not at home asleep. It was late, the heavy oppression of night weighing down on the sleeping citizens of Springfield. Henry had been here for over two hours and had come up with no sign of his missing friend.

Unlike some popular assumption, most vampires didn't hide themselves away and appear in the living world only to feed. Many of them were hiding in plain sight; living, working and going on about their immortal lives much in the same way the other townspeople did. Some blended in so well it was nearly impossible to set them apart from any other man or woman walking down the street. Henry knew though; he knew every single one of them by name. He'd been keeping tabs on this part of the state for over forty years now and knew every single vampire in this territory.

Most were harmless, only snatching a belligerent drunk or an abusive husband in times of need. The vampires in the northern part of the nation had to be much more careful when it came to picking their victims than the ones from the south. In the south, a missing or dead slave was no cause for alarm but in the north, a hastily picked victim could lead to a noticeable absence and subsequent search for the missing party. That was the reason he was here, because one of them had made the mistake of stealing away someone who would be missed.

Henry could feel a tiny rumble of frustration beginning to build in his chest at the thought of his missing friend. It wasn't that he didn't trust in his young friend's abilities, it was simply that he knew how easy it was for his kind to overpower a man. That thought alone was enough to give him pause but the fact that whoever took Abe had done a very good job of hiding him made it that much worse. He'd searched every alley and darkened corner in this town and had come up with nothing for his efforts. He'd passed by every residence and business that housed members of his kind hoping for some evidence of the young hunter but to no avail. Abe had been missing for three days and the likelihood of him still being alive was slim but Henry adamantly refused to allow himself to think of the other option.

Henry walked past the tavern at the corner, drunken laughter and loud music ringing in his ears. He could smell the alcohol from here, copious amount that swam through the blood and made the drinker slow and uncoordinated. It was the easiest way in the world to subdue a victim: get them nice and drunk and it was like leading lambs to the slaughter. It was shameful to admit but he'd been guilty of the same ploy early on in his long, long life. He'd waited near the doors of pubs for an unassuming drunk to come stumbling out and fall right into his trap. It had been one of the darker times in his life, one he was loathe to admit to, but it had happened. That had been long ago, long before he knew how to control himself and the terrible urges this curse brought him.

He frowned, coming to a sudden idea as he passed by the tavern. He'd only visited Springfield on a handful of occasions and none of his travels brought him to linger in the town for very long. Still, he knew of a different kind of tavern, one that catered to a particular kind of patron, which lay just over two miles out of town. He knew of their existence, most of his kind did, but the thought hadn't occurred to him until he passed by the tavern on the corner and walked through the haze of alcohol and intoxication. Turning on the corner away from the tavern, he set off into the looming trees and shadows leading away from town.

**OOOOO**

Farther away from the town, the scents and sounds of the forest came to life. Owls hooted in the trees and bats called to one another in the night-darkened sky. The air smelled like pine trees and fresh earth and a cool, light breeze drifted lazily in and out of the surrounding trees. Henry kept walking, his footsteps falling soundlessly on the soft packed ground beneath his feet. He lifted his head higher and sniffed the air, catching the scent of forest and nighttime. But there was something beneath it as well, beneath the smell of pine and moonlight; it smelled like blood. Human blood.

The structure appeared in the distance, tucked away in a small thicket of trees lining the road into Springfield. It was a simply structure, smaller than the houses lining the outskirts of the town but larger than a hastily built shack. It was reminiscent of his own cabin with its wooden walls and thatched roof and if Henry was placing money on it, he'd be willing to bet there was a cellar as well. The building had been made to accommodate both human and non-human patrons alike, set up alongside the road in a way that was inviting to mortal travelers and far enough away from town to draw in the immortal variety as well. As Henry drew closer, the smell of blood became stronger, thicker, hanging in the air around the building like a crimson fog. It was fresh and recent. It smelled like Abe.

He pushed open the door with one hand, stepping into the wood frame building without a word. There were only two other customers sitting at the bar; both men, one human and one clearly not. Henry vaguely wondered if the human had any idea he was about to become the next drink of the evening.

The man behind the bar looked up as Henry stepped into the room and made his way to the front, black eyes watching him carefully. He was new, a relative stranger in this part of the state and Henry had no qualms admitting he didn't recognize him. "Looking for something in particular, friend?" He asked calmly, wiping down the bar with a dirty rag that looked like it had seen much better days. He had a thick, dark beard and sharp eyes like a hawk's. He was barrel-chested and lumbering, an intimidating force behind a bar built for an intimidating kind. Henry wasn't moved.

"I'm looking for something more of a special reserve, if you understand my meaning," he said simply, his eyes drifting ever so slightly to the man seated next to the increasingly inebriated human. The other man's eyes flashed black for a split second before he downed the rest of his drink in one gulp. The human beside him swayed drunkenly and the man beside him politely offered him his arm to help him get outside. The human, not realizing the fatal mistake he'd just made, took his arm and allowed himself to be led outside by the other. If Henry had been a praying man, he might have prayed for the man's soul. Instead he looked back at the bartender. "Something potent and high quality."

The bartender eyed him carefully for a moment, looking him up and down as if trying to come to some kind of conclusion. Finally, he seemed to relent and stepped away from the bar, nodding in the direction of a wooden door at the back of the building. Henry followed wordlessly, falling in step behind the man as he opened the door and grabbed a lantern from the hook next to the wall. A set of stairs stretched downward into the ground, dark and imposing in the flickering light of the lantern. Without looking to see if he was being followed, the bartender started down the stairs, Henry directly on his heels.

The stairs stopped about twelve feet below the floor of the building, leading to a dusty floor and a darkened room. Very soft whimpers and moans filled the darkness, hitching breaths coming out to mingle in with shuddering gasps. The room was warm and humid, the constant cycle of breath making it moist enough to cling to skin, and the darkness felt even more oppressive as they walked inside further. The entire room smelled like sweat, tears, and blood. It was a blood den, specially made to keep human victims in bondage for the vampire patrons.

The bartender led Henry further into the room, lighting up small catacombs dug into the earth. Each one held a chained human, the walls curving in and dug deep enough to give some semblance of privacy from the other victims. Some were sedated, their breath filled with the potent fragrance of morphine and ether, and others were simply too weak to remain conscious. There were seven catacombs total, each one lit by a single, flickering candle that illuminated the unfortunate sufferers inside.

"Are you looking for something with fuller body or softer tone?" The bartender asked, gesturing toward the room like he was presenting casks of wine. The closest catacomb held an older man, his skin waxen and grey in the dim light. He wasn't sedated nor was he unconscious; he'd died recently, maybe within the past few minutes, and his body hadn't been disposed of yet. The catacomb beside him held a young woman, her face streaked with dirt and tears and her cries soft and pitiful in her drug-induced state. This room was a killing floor, none of the humans having been here for more than a couple days, but that's all it would take.

Henry felt his jaw clench a bit, his teeth setting on edge as he looked around the room. He could smell Abe's blood on every wall, in every square inch of this room, but he couldn't let his emotions betray him just yet. He needed to see him first, get close enough to break him away, and then he could see to the issue at hand. He smiled fluidly at the bartender and responded casually to the question asked "I'm looking for something young and fresh. Someone with fire in their veins."

The bartender gave him a smile like a feral dog and nodded. "I have just the thing." He led him toward the back of the room, passing several of the other catacombs along the way. One held a middle-aged woman, her eyes closed and breathing labored as a frail, sickly-looking man had his teeth clamped down over her wrist. He was drinking noisily, blood pouring from between his lips and staining her arm in crimson rivulets. He glanced up as they passed, eyes completely black and reflecting like glass in the light of the lamp.

The darkness ended at a wall and the bartender stepped into one of the catacombs, grabbing someone by the arm and dragging them into the light. And there he was. Abe was flipped onto his back and landed on the dusty floor with a muffled thump. One arm was chained to the wall of the catacomb, his wrist bleeding and bruised, more than likely broken from several attempts at escape. His long, dark hair fell over his eyes, obscuring them from sight, but even without looking Henry knew he was unconscious. He was shirtless, clad only in a pair of dirty and tattered pants that were ripped beyond repair. Four deep, jagged scratches sliced across his chest in a bloody diagonal from his left collarbone to his right lower ribs and defensive scratches on his arms and shoulders matched the ones on his chest. He's been bitten repeatedly, evidence appearing in the crooks of his arms, along both wrists and along the wounds in his chest. Henry counted at least eight different marks along the younger man's body but he knew there were probably more.

"This one's been our top seller for the past few days. Plucked him right off the street from Springfield. Put up a hell of a fight too, not many like that," the bartended explained, taking a step back to allow Henry forward.

Henry approached Abe carefully, each step measured and each movement controlled in order to prevent him from lashing out before it was time. His blood was ice in his veins, cold and unmoving and frigid to the end. This man had taken Abe, chained him up down here like one of the wretched slaves in the south, and had been allowing handfuls of vampires to come in and feed from him for days. Fury, hot and black as tar, welled in his stomach and he had to fight to keep from tearing the man's head off that instant.

He dropped to his knees next to Abe, reaching out and brushing his messy, dark hair away from his face. The younger man had dark, bruise-like semi-circles forming under both eyes, enhanced by the ugly shiner that arched across his left cheekbone and up over his brow. His skin was unnaturally cool and clammy in the warmth of the cellar and his veins were easily visible beneath the translucent flesh. He was still breathing but it was labored and shallow, much too faint to be acceptable by Henry's standards. The vampire's fingers traveled down slowly, feather-light brushes over skin broken by sharp, dagger-like teeth. The skin around each mark was bruised and swollen, evidence of the force behind each bite. It made Henry's skin crawl.

"I actually had to turn a couple away last night on account of him being so popular," the bartender continued and Henry was only slightly aware of someone else entering the room and coming up to stand beside him. It was the man from before, the one from the bar, and the human was nowhere in sight. Judging from the blood that speckled his shirt and stained his teeth, Henry could place a guess that he was probably face down in the woods nearby. "Thomas here had to pull a couple of them off because they were getting close to draining him." Thomas nodded once and gave Henry a wicked grin. Henry ignored him completely.

"Its impressive you've managed to keep him alive this long," Henry remarked casually, careful fingers brushing over the raw, open wounds that split across Abe's chest. The younger man flinched ever so slightly but didn't wake. "If he's as good as you say, I would imagine he would only last a few hours, a day at the most."

"Well, we never let our patrons go for the neck; they bleed out too fast otherwise. It keeps the victims alive longer, as well. Keeps us from having to go out and find new ones on a day-to-day basis." The bartender explained everything in a way that made it sound perfectly logical and Thomas hovered by his side, eying the unconscious hunter like he wanted nothing more than to take a bite for himself. "Young ones like that, especially the ones who have fight in them like him, can usually last for a week or more if we treat them right."

"I would imagine so," Henry replied, moving his hand up to brush Abe's hair away from his face again. "This one is strong, ruthless. He has a strength not found in many men…that's why I chose him."

The bartender looked confused for a moment and Thomas eyed Henry warily.

"You see, gentlemen, there is only one complication in running a business like this," Henry said, standing slowly and very carefully placing himself in front of the unconscious young man on the floor. "Sometimes you take someone whose absence will not go unnoticed, someone who will be missed and searched for extensively. Sometimes you take someone who already belongs to someone else."

The bartender's eyes narrowed, black ink bleeding into the whites of his eyes, and he bared his teeth. "Listen stranger, I picked this one up fair and square. He was wandering around like a lost lamb and I brought him back all on my own. He wasn't under anyone's watch and he didn't belong to anyone in that town, just another traveler bumbling around through the Springfield."

"Ah, but you see, that's where you're wrong," Henry continued, never moving from Abe's side. "This man here happens to be a very dear friend of mine and you took him away for your own purposes. You've injured him, fed from him, and kept him chained down here like an animal for the past few days and I'm afraid a slight like that is something that cannot go unpunished."

Thomas lunged at him then, sharp claws aimed at Henry's throat and the other deflected him easily. There was a horrible crack followed by a muffled thump and an arm fell to the dusty ground below. Thomas stumbled back a few feet, looking at the stump of his arm in a mixture of confusion and horror before letting out an enraged roar. The bartender was ready as well and both men threw themselves at the calm, stoic vampire standing over the unconscious hunter on the floor. The candle in the catacomb flickered, the lantern was extinguished, and the whole room was thrust into darkness.

**OOOOO**

The bartender opened his eyes to a blurry, flickering shadow above him. He was flat on his back on the floor, looking up at the ceiling of the cellar, and he couldn't move. Henry stood above him, the lantern re-lit and glowing softly on the floor beside him. Turning his head just slightly to the side, the bartender could just make out Thomas writhing on the ground, every square inch of his skin having been stripped away and left in a bloody, gruesome pile in the corner. The frail vampire that had been feeding on the woman when they walked in was suspended from the ceiling, something thick and bloody wrapped around his throat and hanging him from the dirt ceiling like a noose. It took a second to realize it was his own intestines; judging by the weak thrashing, he was still alive as well. Henry had a very impassive expression on his face, one similar to bemusement, and he glanced down at the bartender on the floor. "Ah, I see you're awake."

The bartender growled, struggling to move his fingers even an inch but to no avail. He was completely immobile, pinned to the floor like he had a block of lead on his chest, and he couldn't feel anything. "What…did you do to me…?" He gasped out, still trying his hardest to move and failing miserably. A cold sweat broke out across his face and he gnashed his teeth in rage. "I…can't move…"

"No, I imagine you couldn't," Henry replied simply, dropping down to kneel next to the bartender's immobile form. "That's because I have systematically broken every bone in your body leaving you paralyzed from the jaw down. The injuries are not permanent, I have no doubt you could probably heal yourself in a few weeks, maybe less depending on how much fresh blood you can obtain, but I'm afraid I cannot take that risk."

Henry stood, walking a few steps over to Abe who still lay in a broken heap on the floor. "You see, when you took this young man here, you caused me a great deal of concern regarding his well being. As I've mentioned before, he is very dear to me, someone I would give my life for, and you took him away." He touched the younger man's face gently, receiving just the slightest moan for his efforts, but Abe remained unconscious. "The damage you've done to him is unacceptable and I'm afraid your punishment must be severe."

The bartender gnashed his teeth again and struggled to move with the same lack of success as before. "Just take him!" He growled furiously, baring his teeth at Henry when the other turned to look at him. "Just take him and get out of here! We'll never bother him again if that's what you want! You have my word!"

"That is exactly what I want but your word means little to me," Henry stepped away from his young friend and back over to the bartender. "I need assurance that you'll never come after him again and I can think of only one way that assertion can be guaranteed." He picked up the lantern, extinguishing the flame and discarding the glass bulb to the side. The room plunged into darkness again and there was a sound like water bouncing off of fabric and hitting the dirt floor.

Something splashed on the bartender's face and he gasped, coughing as the liquid sprinkled across his skin. It smelled like oil. "What are you doing!" He choked, struggling desperately to move. "What are you doing!"

"Insurance purposes, my friend," Henry's voice was right beside him and far away at the same time, echoing in the shadows and bouncing off the walls. A single candle appeared and drifted down toward the ground, igniting the leg of the bartender's pants in a ripple of flame. "Nothing personal, you understand." Within minutes, the man was engulfed in flames, the oil-soaked fabric devouring the fire like a hungry wolf. The man cried out in fury and agony as his body was burned away, cursing Henry and calling him every horrible name imaginable. Henry ignored him and walked away, his attention focused elsewhere.

Stepping away from the fire-ravaged vampire on the ground, he dropped to crouch next to Abe's still form. He broke the shackle pinning him to the wall easily, heavily metal chain links crumbling like clay in his hands. Mindful of the injuries on the younger man's torso, he carefully scooped him into his arms and lifted him off the floor. The burning vampire howled in rage and agony, face completely destroyed by the flames. Henry stepped over him casually, careful to avoid the flames that were growing higher with every second, and walked toward the staircase leading out of the cellar. He readjusted Abe in his arms, the younger man making a very faint noise of protest in the back of his throat before going silent again. Taking one last look at the cellar that was slowly being swallowed by the flames traveling from the vampire on the floor, Henry turned around and ascended the stairs, leaving the cellar and its inhabitants to the smoke and flame.

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**Wow...Henry is crazy scary when he's pissed off O.o Hope you all liked it!**


	3. The Old Parish Inn

**Hello dears! Hope this chapter finds you well! Sarah and Phillip are both my OCs but they're pretty minor characters in the long run. Hope you like it! :D**

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The Old Parish Inn had been one of the first buildings in Springfield. When the town was being built the inn, at the time little more than a boarding house with one spare room, had been one of the center fixtures of the community. As the town grew, so did the inn, until eventually it was able to hold as many as six guests at any given time. The owner was kind enough, there was always a fire in the hearth and, most importantly, secrecy was the top priority. The inn provided a safe place for people seeking refuge, those who couldn't go anywhere else. It was well known among escaped slaves because it provided a bed, a warm meal, and medical supplies for those on the run. The guest's rooms were under lock and key during their entire stay and owner of the inn didn't ask questions so long as no one caused trouble. It was for that reason that Henry arrived on the doorstep, Abe still unconscious and cradled in his arms like a rag doll.

He'd taken off his coat and wrapped around the younger man, bundling him in the thick fabric in an effort to bring some warmth back to his clammy flesh. Abe had been unconscious nearly the whole trek back into town, rousing just enough to push weakly at the arms holding him, obviously thinking he was still being held captive in the cellar of the bar. Henry would shush him gently, rambling a litany of comforting words that seemed to calm the younger man and let him drift off back into oblivion. It was simply too far to go back to the cabin at this hour and Henry knew he didn't have the supplies necessary to care for Abe properly so walking back into Springfield and taking up residence at the Old Parish Inn seemed the next best thing.

Henry had stayed in the inn on several occasions for one reason or another and always found it to be accommodating to any of his needs. He'd known the owner for years but the relationship went far beyond him; Henry had known his father and grandfather and great grandfather ever since they'd arrived in this country. The original Mr. Parish had been one of the men who settled Jamestown back in 1607 and he and Henry had formed a rather peculiar bond during the first few years of the colony. Parish was a butcher, the only one in the colony at the time, and Henry had been a vampire for just over twenty years. One night, Parish caught him trying to make off with a hog and had confronted him. Though he was human and entirely too easy to kill, Henry had spared him and they struck a deal. If he agreed not to steal the animals, Parish would keep his secret and provide him the excess blood from the carcasses. True, it didn't satisfy the way human blood did but it helped alleviate some of the guilt from Henry's soul and he was grateful for it. From that moment on, Henry had been a friend and protector of the Parish family and all of their descendants.

The door to the inn was closed but there was a glow from a fire coming from one of the windows. It was late, too late to be considered night but too early to be considered morning either. Henry knew Parish was asleep but he also knew that he wouldn't turn him away at this hour. As gently as he could, he set Abe down on the wooden porch and rapped on the door three times, waiting patiently for a response.

There was a muffled thump from inside the building, an equally muffled curse, and Henry could hear footsteps approaching the door. After a moment, the door swung open and rumpled, barely awake Mr. Parish stood squinting out into the darkness. His white hair and graying beard were disheveled and he blinked several times behind the round lenses of his glasses before his vision adjusted. When his eyes landed on Henry, they widened for the briefest second before he recognized him. "Henry! What a surprise to see you here at this hour!"

Henry smiled pleasantly at the greeting. "Hello Phillip," he greeted in return, stepping forward just slightly so he could see him better in the light.

Phillip stepped back to open the door a bit further, a warm gust of air drifting out onto the porch. "I trust you'll be wanting a room, then?"

The vampire nodded briefly. "For a few days if you can spare one."

Phillip nodded again, propping the door open with chunk of stone. "We'll always have a room available for you, Henry," he chastised lightly, nodding him inside. "Come in, come in. Its dreadfully cold out there, not that it bothers you any, I'm sure."

Henry stooped to gather Abe back into his arms and stepped through the threshold, the warm air immediately caressing his face like the gentle touch of a lover. Phillip's eyes widened a bit at the sight of the young man hanging limply in Henry's arms, taking in both the pallor of his skin and the dried blood on Henry's shirt that was now visible in the light. He knew the vampire well enough to know that the young man hanging in his arms wasn't one of Henry's victims but possibly the victim of someone else. "I see you'll be wanting some bandages as well."

Henry nodded, adjusting Abe in his arms a bit. The younger man winced just slightly but went still again almost immediately. "Anything you can spare will be greatly appreciated." Phillip nodded in response and disappeared into the inn, rummaging around behind a large oak desk in the corner. Henry walked into main room of the inn, the room dark save for the fire flickering warmly in the hearth. A threadbare blanket was tossed over the back of chair in the center of the room and Henry knew from witnessing it himself that Phillip tended to sleep in the main room rather than his own bedroom to answer the door for late night guests.

Phillip appeared a few seconds later, key in hand, and offered it to Henry. "Take him on up. I'll get Sarah to bring up some bandages shortly."

Henry took the key and nodded gratefully. "Thank you Phillip. I'll pay you for your services."

Phillip waved one hand dismissively and walked back across the room to lock the door. "Your money is no good here Henry, you know that. Just get the boy upstairs and make sure he's comfortable. Let me know if you need more blankets for the night."

Henry nodded once more and turned in the direction of the staircase, ascending slowly to keep from jarring Abe's injuries any further. The stairs creaked beneath their combined weight but it was quickly diminished when Henry stepped onto the landing of the second floor. There was a room at the end of the hall that was unofficially Henry's; Phillip only rented it to other tenants on very rare occasions and it was always clean and well furnished every time Henry visited. The lock clicked open softly and he stepped inside, crossing over to the bed and setting Abe down gently. There was a small lamp sitting on a table near the door and Henry lit it deftly, casting the room in soft yellow light. The room was small, nothing too fancy or luxurious, but it suited his purposes for now. It had a bed, a place where he could tend to Abe in peace, and most of all it was safe. For the moment, he couldn't ask for anything more.

He walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed next to his injured young friend, carefully removing the jacket and setting it to the side. Abe's skin was still cool to the touch, the product of too much blood loss, and his breathing was slow and shallow. The scratches across his chest were deep and ugly in the dim light of the lamp and he flinched a bit when Henry very carefully brushed his fingers along the side of one. The bruises along his body seemed darker in the shadows of the room and Henry could feel the muscles in his jaw twitching just slightly at the thought of other vampires feeding from Abe. The thought made him angry and sick and if there had been a slower, more painful way to kill the bartender and Thomas he would have welcomed it.

A very soft knock at the door startled him from his thoughts and he stood, crossing the room and opening the door quietly. A young woman was standing one the other side, still dressed in her nightgown and her dark hair pulled back in a loose bun at the back of her head. She appeared to have just woken up but a small basket of bandages was held under one arm. She was young, only a few years older than Henry was when he'd died, but her face was still as smooth and unaffected by age as if she'd still been in her youth. She smiled warmly at Henry even though she couldn't see him and reached out to touch his arm. "Henry, it's so nice to have you here again."

Henry smiled and took the girl's hand, carefully leading her into the room. "It's a pleasure to see you again Sarah. Although I must apologize for having woken you; I wish my visit were purely for the sake of leisure."

Sarah smiled and allowed Henry to lead her over to the bed where Abe was laying. Her knee bumped into the side of the mattress and she reached down carefully, gentle fingers ghosting over the fabric and finally coming to rest on one of Abe's arms. She let her hand travel up the boy's arm to his face and she ran her fingers very carefully over the lines of his jaw, his cheekbones, his brow. "He's so young…" she commented quietly, her eyebrows knitting together just slightly in concern.

Henry nodded though he knew Sarah couldn't see the gesture. "He's a very dear friend of mine; in fact, he lives here in Springfield. I'm afraid he recently ran into some trouble though and this was the safest place I could think to bring him."

Sarah nodded just slightly to show she understood and continued to move her hands over Abe's body. She pressed one hand to his forehead, frowning at the coolness of his skin, and letting her hands travel down to brush over the wounds on his chest. The younger man flinched and stiffened under her touch and Sarah immediately apologized, shushing him softly and keeping her fingers light and gentle as they moved across his skin. "These wounds are deep," she mentioned softly, more to herself than Henry it seemed. "They'll have to be cleaned before I do anything else."

Henry hovered by the door, watching her work quietly. He'd known Sarah since she was barely old enough to walk, let alone be a nurse to the sick and injured travelers who regularly showed up at the inn. She was Phillip's niece, a permanent resident in the inn, and she always appeared with a smile to anyone in need. Her father had been a physician, one of the best in town before he was taken down by a particularly violent strain of yellow fever. The fever had swept through her entire family, killing nearly everyone except for Sarah and her mother. The fever had rendered Sarah blind but otherwise unharmed; her mother had not been so lucky. The fever, coupled with the grief of losing nearly every member of the family, caused her health to slowly deteriorate and she found herself unable to care for her young daughter. Phillip had taken Sarah in when she was only five and she'd lived here almost her entire life. Henry wasn't sure what became of her mother; he doubted even Sarah knew.

"There's a small matter I must attend to in town. It will not take me long." Henry looked at Sarah, watching as she carefully tended to Abe. "Can I leave him in your care?"

Sarah smiled and nodded, her sightless eyes landing somewhere near the door and Henry's general vicinity. "Of course. I'll bandage him up while you're gone."

Henry nodded his assent and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him quietly and leaving Sarah to her work.

**OOOOO**

Speed awoke with a start, his eyes snapping open instantly in the darkened room. He wasn't sure what had woken him but he was instantly alert and wide awake. He laid still for several minutes, trying to determine the cause of his abrupt lack of sleep, when he heard it. It was very faint, little more than a whisper of creaking floorboards down below, but he heard it. Slowly, hesitantly, he sat up and looked over toward the door, the hair on his arms and neck standing on end. He was still a bit jumpy from his encounter with the mysterious Henry Sturges earlier that evening and he hadn't quite managed to convince himself that he was safe in the store after hours. It was different when Abe was here because between the two of them they could definitely take on anyone who came breaking into the store at night but with Speed by himself and Abe still missing from the picture, it made his resolve quaver a bit.

Speed stood slowly, approaching the door with caution. He grabbed for some kind of weapon in the darkness of the room, his hand landing on something flat and heavy. It was one of Abe's law books, stacked carefully near his bed. Well, it was certainly heavy enough to cause some kind of damage if he swung it hard enough; he vowed to pay Abe back for the damages to the book later.

The door creaked open and Speed stepped out into the dark hallway, squinting and allowing his eyes to adjust to the long, shadowed corridor. Everything was silent now, it seemed even the wind had stopped blowing outside, and Speed crept down the dark hallway carefully. Mindful of which stairs creaked and groaned when pressure was applied, he very slowly and quietly made his way downstairs to the store front.

He entered the store silently, casting a quick glance around to room for any obvious signs of trouble. It was dark and quiet, much like the rest of the house, but there was a certain electricity in the air that signified he wasn't alone. He held his breath and waited for several seconds until he got dizzy enough to release it. If anyone else had been in there with him, surely he would have heard them breathing by now. He stood in the darkened silence for what felt like an hour, looking at nothing and preparing for anything. When he finally relented to himself that no one was there, he turned and started back toward the stairs.

He paused, noticing something on the wooden counter lining the front of the shelves. Frowning, he approached it slowly, curiously; he knew he'd cleaned the counter before going to bed that night. It was a piece of paper, folded and re-folded dozens of times and an address was written in the top corner in neat, unmistakable handwriting. Henry Sturges.

"I would greatly prefer it if my address was not made public knowledge," a calm voice said from behind him, filling the entirely store with those simple words.

Speed jumped half a foot off the floor and whirled around, coming face-to-face with the very same man whose address lined the top of the letter. The law book clattered to the floor, slipping from numb, boneless fingers; so much for using it as a weapon. "H-How did you…? Where did you…? How…" Speed stammered, unable to form a full sentence in his surprise.

Henry eyed him casually, his expression a neutral mask in the shadows of the room. "You forgot to lock the door."

Speed wanted to counter that no, in fact, he did not forget to lock the door, it was the first thing he did when he got home that night, but the words refused to come out. Instead, a very eloquent form of "uh…?" came from his mouth and hung like an ornament in the air.

Henry stepped past him, walking back toward the front of the store. "Keeping my location a secret is of the utmost importance, you understand. It would do me no good for someone with less than pleasant intentions stumbled through my door. I would appreciate it if my address remained between Abraham and yourself."

Speed nodded dumbly, unable to speak past the lump of shock that had formed in his throat. He coughed, cleared his throat several times, and Henry waited patiently for him to speak. When he finally did, his sentences were still broken but at least made more sense than his other attempts had. "Abe…is he…? Did you find him?"

Henry nodded once, his expression dark. "Yes, I did find him."

Speed swallowed thickly at the tone and felt a heavy weight settle in his chest. "Is he alive…?"

Henry nodded again but his expression remained just as grim as before. "He is alive though his condition is far from desirable. I will keep him under my care until I deem him well enough to return here." Henry approached the counter, setting a small purse on top of the letter. "This should cover the labor and expense in his absence."

Speed shook his head, looking at the purse. "I'm not worried about payment…I'm worried about _him_."

The other man nodded slowly and turned to face him, a small smile gracing his features. "I understand and I can assure you Abe will be under the best care until he is recovered. The payment is also my thanks, my appreciation for you bringing his absence to my attention. I fear that had you not come to me when you did, Abraham may have been in much worse condition than I had found him in originally."

Speed stood speechlessly for several seconds, unsure of what to say in response. He didn't know how Abe knew this man, what their history was before he'd come to Springfield, but it was obvious this man cared a great deal for him. Still, Abe was one of Speed's closest friends and his disappearance had shaken him badly. He didn't want to let Henry leave without some assurance that Abe would be coming back. "Will he be alright?"

Henry hesitated for a moment before responding. "Physical wounds heal much faster than wounds left on the mind and soul, I'm afraid. It may take some time before he is completely healed." He looked at Speed carefully, letting the words sink in fully. "He is strong though, I have no doubt he will recover. Just understand that it may take some time for this to occur."

Speed nodded slowly, at least somewhat content with the answer. It wasn't perfect but it was better than anything he had. "Thank you."

Henry nodded very slightly and turned back toward the door. "Take care of yourself, Mr. Speed," Henry said, opening to front door and stepping out onto the empty street. "Be sure to lock the door."

Speed waited a full thirty seconds after Henry left before rushing over to the door and locking it with a resounding click. He pushed a heavy crate in front of the door for good measure and fled back up the stairs to his and Abe's shared room, leaving both the purse of money and letter on the counter downstairs. He didn't sleep again for the rest of the night.

**OOOOO**

When Henry arrived back at the inn, he found Sarah sitting by Abe's bedside stroking his hand very softly and humming to herself. The wounds on his chest were bandaged and small bowl of reddish water sat beside the bed, a bloodied rag resting on the side of it. Though the younger man was still alarmingly pale, a small amount of color had returned to his face and he appeared to be resting comfortably.

Sarah looked up when Henry walked in, gazing in the direction of the door. "You're back," she said simply, smiling that same warm smile she always gave him. Henry couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes, my errand did not take up as much time as I had anticipated." He glanced to Abe, looking him over carefully. "How is he?"

Sarah looked back toward the bed, raising her hand to carefully brush her fingers through Abe's hair. "He's very weak I'm afraid; his injuries have stolen much of his strength. But he's resting now so that's an improvement." She stood slowly, drawing the blankets up to Abe's chest and carefully stepping away from the bed. "He's young though, and he's strong. Give him a few days of rest and he should recover in no time."

"Thank you," Henry said, reaching out and cupping her cheek with one hand.

Sarah smiled and leaned into his touch, kissing his palm lightly. She had always held a very deep love for Henry but not in any sense of romance. Henry reminded her of her father and brothers, all lost to the fever that had claimed her sight. She'd known him almost her entire life and loved him as she did her uncle. There was very little Henry could ever ask of her that she would say no to. "Let me know if you need anything, I'll just be downstairs."

Henry nodded and kissed the back of her hand. "You've been more than helpful tonight, Sarah. Get some rest, I can take over from here."

Sarah nodded and gathered her basket along with the spare bandages under one arm. "He was asking for you," she said as she reached for the door. "Just before you got back. He said your name a few times."

Henry glanced back to the young man sleeping peacefully on the bed. Abe's hair fell over his face, unruly even in his sleep, and he looked so very small in that bed. It served as reminder of how young he truly was and it made Henry's heart ache.

"Thank you, Sarah."

"Always, Henry."

The door closed softly behind him and Henry was left alone. He crossed the room quietly and sat on the edge of the bed, taking Abe's limp hand in his own and brushing his thumb along the younger man's knuckles. It was late and had he still been human, Henry might have felt the pull of fatigue. He didn't though, not now, not anymore, and he was content to simply sit by Abe's bedside and watch him sleep.

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**More to come soon! :D**


	4. Fever Dreams

**Hello dears! This chapter ended up being a bit shorter than I thought it would O.o Oh well! Originally I wasn't planning on bringing Sarah back in, the last chapter was supposed to be her only real appearance, but she ended up making her way back into this chapter as well lol! You guys really seemed to like her too so that was encouraging ^.- Hope you all like it! :D**

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The fever started around 4 am, burning internal fire across Abe's skin and shaking him down to his core. It started slow, as most do; a small tremor here and a whimper there. Henry tried to soothe him as best he could, pulling the younger man's upper body into his lap and propping Abe's back against his own chest. He stroked his hair softly, shushing him quietly, his frown deepening with each minute that passed that brought more fever with it. Abe thrashed weakly in his arms, fighting uselessly against Henry's stronger hold, and desperately trying to free himself to no avail. Henry attempted to calm him with little success, whispering soft, reassuring words that he hoped filtered down into the younger man's subconscious. He was safe, everything was alright, he wasn't in the den anymore, he was safe; the words seemed to roll over Abe like a wave and he didn't hear any of it. He continued to thrash around feebly, trapped in whatever nightmares his fever-addled mind had concocted, and there was no way Henry could get through to him.

The heat from his skin was uncomfortable against Henry's shoulder and the vampire felt his eyes narrowing at the rising heat. He hadn't been human for a long time, longer than he cared to remember, but he knew that a fever like this could turn dangerous within a matter of minutes. He held on for a few minutes longer, long fingers carding through the younger man's hair aimlessly and speaking soothing words that had no meaning. Abe cringed, shying away from his touch like it caused him physical pain, and Henry felt something soul-deep clench inside of him. Though he was loathe to leave him on his own, he also knew that this kind of ailment was a bit beyond his skill and would require someone with more experience in the matter.

Frowning down at the distressed and feverish young man in his lap, Henry let out a very soft sigh and knew there was no other alternative. He very carefully laid Abe back down on the bed, bundling the quilt loosely around his trembling form. Despite the fever that raged beneath the skin, Abe was shivering like he'd been caught in a blizzard without his coat. It was a paradox of conditions, one Henry didn't fully understand but knew enough about to know that it disturbed him greatly. Taking one last look at his fitful friend, he stepped out of the room and went downstairs to retrieve Sarah.

The young woman opened the door a moment after Henry's soft knocks, stepping into the doorway and blinking a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes. She reached out, fingers brushing Henry's arm, and frowned. "Henry? What's wrong?"

"I'm terribly sorry to wake you again," Henry said, catching her hand in his own and holding onto it carefully. "But I'm afraid I require your assistance again this evening."

Sarah's eyebrows drew together a bit in a small line and she looked troubled. "What happened?"

"It's Abe."

At the mention of the young man's name, Sarah nodded and disappeared back into her room, rummaging around in the darkness for a few moments before returning back to the door with her basket under one arm. She handed it to Henry carefully and gestured back to the staircase. "Go ahead and take that up, I'll be there shortly."

Henry nodded his understanding and left her door, returning up the staircase and opening the door to his and Abe's shared room. There was a terrible crash just as he entered the room and he looked to the side quickly just in time to see Abe tumble out of the bed. The younger man landed in an awkward heap on the ground, struggling furiously with the quilt and tearing at it like demon arms wrapped around his body. Henry set the basket down on the table next to the door and rushed over to his fallen friend.

The minute his hand touched Abe's shoulder, the younger man went into a frenzy. He lashed out violently, anger and fear making his movements powerful if a bit uncoordinated. Henry managed to avoid the first fist swung at him but was caught off guard when the second one struck him in the side of the face. The hit was forceful and strong and Henry was sure if he'd still been human it probably would have hurt terribly. He grunted a bit at the contact but managed to keep his composure, capturing both of Abe's arms easily and pulling him into his arms. The hunter struggled against him fiercely, pushing and thrashing in his arms as he tried to break free. He was caught in a nightmare, of what Henry wasn't sure, but he was fighting against him with every ounce of strength he had.

The door swung open a second later and Sarah stepped in, her eyes widening at the sound of scuffle in the room. Her arms were full of supplies that she immediately dropped into the top of the basket beside the door. She rushed into the room and just avoided having her feet kicked out from under her by one of Abe's legs lashing out across the floor. Henry managed to get a firm enough hold on the younger man to get him back onto the bed but Abe was still fighting against him viciously. The bandages covering Abe's chest were stained with fresh blood and Henry could feel his heart pounding furiously against his arms as he held him.

Against his will, Henry felt his fangs begin to slip out, his eyes darken, and his senses enhance. The room smelled hot and damp with the influx of fever and there was a sickly sweet scent of infection coming from the wounds on Abe's chest. He could hear the younger man's heart beating fast and hard in his ears, the forceful swish of blood through his veins making Henry momentarily dizzy. He kept a firm grip on him though, closing his eyes and forcing himself to take several deep breaths to regain his composure. For once, he was grateful that Sarah was blind and couldn't see him in this moment of weakness.

Sarah, for her part, had managed to climb onto the bed with both of them and reached out, capturing Abe's fever-flushed face in both of her hands and speaking to him softly. Her voice was quiet and gentle, her words soothing, and she continued to speak to him calmly until he began to settle down in Henry's arms. She kept one hand cupped against his cheek and raised the other to brush sweat-damp hair away from Abe's face, shushing him in a soft, maternal voice that seemed to take all the fight out of the younger man. Finally, Abe sagged in Henry's arms, breathless and exhausted, and gave up his fruitless fight.

Feeling him relax beneath her hands, Sarah pulled away and made her way over to the door, gathering the supplies she'd brought with her. She set the basket on the floor beside the bed and sat back down on the mattress, reaching out and carefully brushing her fingers over the blood-stained bandages wrapped across Abe's chest. She frowned, feeling the heat radiating beneath the fabric, and shook her head. "His wounds have become infected. I'm so sorry, Henry, I thought I had cleaned them out in time."

Henry shook his head slightly even though she couldn't see. "I don't blame you Sarah, I know you did the best you could. I'm just grateful you're here now."

Sarah smiled a bit at this and began to carefully peel away the soiled bandages, revealing the angry, red gashes beneath. The wounds were swollen and inflamed, crusted over in a thin layer of dried blood and yellowing pus, and they radiated heat from deep within. Sarah reached down to the side of the bed, retrieving a bowl of water and a handful of clean cloths. She dipped one into the bowl and wrung it out, handing it up to Henry. "Lay this across his forehead, it will help with the fever."

Henry took the cloth and dabbed it across Abe's face, uselessly trying to wipe away the bright flush of fever that had taken up residence in Abe's skin. The hunter flinched and whimpered against the cold cloth, trying in vain to pull away but too weak from his outburst before to make much effort. Henry hushed him softly, laying the cloth across his forehead and keeping Abe's head tilted back against his shoulder.

Sarah dipped another cloth in the water and frowned, looking up in Henry's general direction. "You may have to hold him still, this is probably going to hurt," she said warily, a troubled look passing through her pale eyes.

Henry simply tightened his grip in response and nodded. "I have him."

Satisfied with his response, Sarah reached up and began to carefully but firmly clean the blood and pus away from the wounds. She scrubbed at the gashes, removing the freshly formed scabs and causing them to bleed freely once more. Abe flinched and moaned in Henry's arms, his muscles tightening and going rigid beneath Sarah's hands, but the vampire simply held on tighter. It was a slow, painful process and scouring the wounds left them bleeding heavily and looking worse than before. However, Henry noticed the smell of sickness and infection slowly began to filter out of the room with each pass of the cloth and he silently encouraged the ministrations in spite of the pain it caused.

When Sarah was satisfied that the wounds had been completely cleaned, she reached back into her basket and pulled out a small glass jar. The contents were dark and looked very similar to tar but had an herbal, medicinal scent that reminded Henry of the forest. She scooped a small amount of it onto her fingertips and coated the wounds with it, layer upon layer, until the gashes were completely covered. Whatever was in the paste seemed to have an immediate effect on Abe and he sagged more heavily into Henry's arms, the lines of tension and pain crossing his face slowly easing off and leaving his expression relaxed and peaceful.

"This should help with the pain," Sarah said by way of explanation, closing the jar and reaching down to retrieve another set of clean bandages. "My father taught my mother how to make it before he died; she passed along the recipe to me when I was just a girl." She carefully covered the wounds with the bandages, leaving them loose enough not to bind but pressed down firmly around the sides to keep the wounds clean.

She reached up, peeling the damp cloth away from Abe's forehead and rewetting it before handing it back. Henry accepted the cloth and pressed it to the hunter's face and neck, attempting to draw out the remainder of the fever with each pass. Abe whimpered a few times, still slightly evasive of the cloth but more accepting that he had been previously. His skin was still flushed and hot to the touch but he wasn't nearly as fitful as he had been at the start of the fever and the outburst had left him heavy and exhausted in Henry's arms.

The fever dreams continued to last late into the night but none with the intensity of the violent nightmare he'd experienced earlier. He still thrashed a bit sometimes, calling out for his mother, calling out for Henry; hot, bitter tears trickling down his face with each shout. Sarah held one hand gently, rubbing his arm soothingly with the other and Henry placated him quietly throughout each outcry. It took well over an hour before he finally fell into something akin to a restful sleep and the nightmares left him all together. Even after he quieted down, Sarah and Henry remained by his side.

The fever finally broke just after 6 am and Abe was left shivering and covered in sweat, trembling bodily in Henry's arms. The vampire held him close and carefully wiped the sweat away from his face and arms, speaking to him softly in much the same way Sarah had. The young woman had fallen asleep at some point in the last hour, her chin resting on her arms and one hand still holding onto Abe's. Henry carefully managed to pry himself away from the young hunter in his arms and rest him back on the bed, pulling the quilt up to his chin and tucking it around him firmly. Once he was satisfied that Abe was at least somewhat safe enough to be left alone for a moment, he turned his attention to Sarah.

She started a bit when Henry touched her shoulder, eyes immediately looking all around the room and in the direction of the bed where her patient was sleeping. Henry reassured her that everything was fine and carefully whisked her away from the edge of the bed, walking toward the closed door and opening it with one hand. Sarah protested meekly for a moment, insisting she could stand and that she should stay in case something else happened. Henry very politely ignored her.

He pushed open the door to her bedroom with one foot and walked inside, placing her on the edge of the bed like a sleep-weary porcelain doll. Sarah was exhausted, he'd kept her up nearly all night, and he felt a twist of guilt at the dark circles beneath her pale eyes. She looked ready to topple over at a moment's notice but she was still trying to convince him that she should stay and look after Abe. Henry ignored her again, opting instead to guide her down to the mattress with one hand and the promise that he would come to get her in a moment's notice if anything happened. At least somewhat content with the promise, Sarah nodded slightly and allowed herself to sag into the mattress, tired eyes locked on Henry until he left the room.

Henry closed the door behind him softly and walked past the main room of the inn, catching site of Phillip still asleep in his chair near the hearth. He located a piece of paper and a quill on the desk near the back of the room and wrote a very short note asking Phillip not to disturb Sarah as she'd been awake with them for a good majority of the night. He left the note on the desk and walked back to the staircase, climbing the stairs quietly and disappearing back to their room.

Abe was still shivering beneath the quilt when Henry returned but it didn't seem as forceful as it had before. The vampire returned to his bedside and gathered him in his arms once again, keeping the quilt bundled around him tightly and tucking Abe's head beneath his chin. Once repositioned in Henry's arms, the hunter began to quiet down once again and fell back into a light, peaceful sleep. Henry smiled faintly and rubbed one hand up and down the younger man's back, trying to provide him with friction that might cause some kind of heat. He once again found himself cursing the fact that he was no longer a member of the living and therefore couldn't provide the assistance of shared body heat to his ailing friend. Still, he may not be able to offer any kind of physical warmth to the trembling hunter in his arms but he could offer peace and safety, the promise of eternal protection, and for now that's all that mattered.

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**Whoop! More Abery fluff for you all on this lovely Tuesday! :D**


	5. Recollecting Shakespeare

**Eeek, sorry for the short chapter guys O.o School started back this week and has kinda drained me a bit =/ I hope you guys still like it though! :D**

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Consciousness returned slowly and with it so did the pain. It started from his feet and crawled all the way up to his head, bone deep and wrenching. His chest ached painfully, the muscles tightening and seizing sharply with each breath he took. Everything hurt and his body felt heavy and leaden like his limbs were pinned down with bags of sand. For a moment, all he could do was lie there with his eyes closed and breathe.

His mind sought through fuzzy images of darkness and shadow. He vaguely recalled leaving the store, walking down the twilight streets of Springfield, and that's where the memories stopped. Everything beyond that was a blur of shifting memories with no beginning and no end. Everything was dark and oppressive…it was like waking up inside of a tomb.

Gentle hands touched his face, smoothing away the hair from his forehead, and he cringed at the sudden contact. The touch was not painful but his mind, along with his sensory awareness, was still drifting through the swirls of a cloudbank and it was startling to say the least.

"Abraham?" A voice said above his head, soft and concerned and familiar. He knew that voice, he'd know it anywhere. No matter his prejudice or his personal mission in life, that voice had always brought him comfort and solidity. It reminded him of home.

He opened his eyes slowly, the task taking much more effort than he thought it would. His vision swam for a moment, images blurry and uncoordinated, and he had to blink several times in order to get his eyes to focus on the ceiling up above him. He didn't recognize the room and for one brief moment he felt his breath seize in his lungs as the memory of another darkened room, one with thick, oppressive walls lit only by the flickering of candlelight, filtered to the surface. He squeezed his eyes shut them, swallowing thickly and fighting back the surge of panic that accompanied the memory.

"It's alright," the voice said above him and a cool, comforting hand brushed across his forehead. "You're safe."

He managed to open his eyes again, his vision focusing more quickly this time around, and tilted his head to the side toward the voice. Henry's face shifted into view an Abe felt a swell of relief wash through him. "H'nry…?" His voice came out scratchy and dry in his ears and he winced inwardly.

The vampire just nodded and allowed his hand to rest against the younger man's shoulder gently. "It's very good to see you awake again, my friend. I confess I was beginning to become concerned." His expression was unreadable but the words were serious and Abe found himself frowning as he tried to pull more details from his foggy memories.

"There was a room…" Abe mumbled, his words slurring together a bit as he tried to speak more coherently. "A dark room…I was pinned down…"

"I know," Henry said quietly, a brief yet very dark look crossing his features as he spoke. "I took care of the matter. You shouldn't worry yourself with it anymore."

Abe blinked heavily, the very effort of speaking making him drowsy and his thoughts muddled. "You found me…"

Henry smiled softly then, a true smile, and his eyes softened a bit. "Of course I did; you'll find I'm very persistent when it comes to those I care about and your disappearance would not have gone unnoticed for long. Though you can thank your friend Speed for alerting me as to your absence in the first place. He was very concerned about your wellbeing."

Abe frowned a bit, trying to think back once again to the last night he remembered. Everything was still a blur but he could recall very distant memories that led up to his abduction. He'd left the store on an errand and the promise to join Speed at the tavern down the street. It was early evening, the sun just beginning to disappear beneath the horizon, and the long shadows of the city filling the streets. It would have been a nice evening if he wasn't being followed.

He'd sensed them before he ever saw them, knowing there were at least two, possibly three stalking him throughout the darkened streets and alleyways. He cursed himself bitterly for leaving his axe behind in the shop. It wasn't the first time he'd been without a weapon in such a situation but it definitely didn't raise his hopes in the matter. The fight would be brutal, there was no doubt about that, and Abe remembered feeling his muscles tense just before the first strike landed. There was blinding flash of pain, a blossom of blood across his chest, and he was overwhelmed. Everything afterwards was a haze, a jumbled mess of intertwining memories that all ended in darkness.

"Abraham?"

Henry's voice pulled him back to the present and he found himself blinking up at the ceiling again. His mind drifted back over the events again, trying once more to recall anything else from the tangle of memories, but coming up blank. His brow creased in concentration and he couldn't quite hide the wince that crossed his features. He was tired, his body heavy, and everything hurt.

Seeming to sense his friend's distress, Henry moved his hand up and swiped his thumb gently along the creases of pain that crossed his face. "Try not to strain yourself," he said quietly, keeping his voice soft and soothing. "You're recovering from a fever and your body is still very weak; even the smallest of tasks will take their toll if you're not careful."

His words rang true and Abe already felt himself being drawn back into the waiting arms of sleep. He tried to fight it, to push his mind just a bit harder to remember, but it was no use. Henry's hand was soothing against his forehead, grounding him and giving him enough stability to feel like he wouldn't float away into madness. Clinging to that feeling for as long as he could, Abe let himself drift back into a dreamless oblivion.

**OOOOO**

When he woke again, it was once more to the sound of Henry's voice. The vampire was still close to him, his voice right above his ear, and Abe could just make out the curve of the other man's shoulder beside his head. He listened quietly for a few moments, letting the words simply drift over him like waves from the sea.

"…and the owner of it blest, ever shall in safety rest. Trip away, make no stay; meet me all by break of day."

_Shakespeare_, Abe's mind supplied helpfully, latching onto the words like a rope in stormy seas. The lilting pattern of words brought back memories of his first meeting with Henry, of listening quietly as his immortal friend read him sonnets and acts from a book dedicated to the great playwright. Muscle memory recalled lying motionless in the bed much like he was now, keeping as still as possible to avoid jarring new wounds. It had only been a few years and yet it felt like lifetimes in his sleep induced haze.

"I'm sorry," Abe said quietly, his voice cutting off the quiet reading above him. He could feel Henry's eyes on him and he forced himself to blink open his own eyes at the sensation. "I was a fool…"he continued, eyes slowly readjusting to the room around him. "I was careless and let them get the better of me."

Henry remained silent for a second longer before he shifted ever so slightly, marking the page of his book with one finger. "Do not mistake foolishness with youth, Abraham," he said softly, resting the book in his lap carefully. "Life comes through a series of trials and tribulation, all of which are designed to teach an important lesson. You are still learning, my friend, and you are still very young; I have never expected you to be perfect, only to learn from the hardships in your life." The words hang in the air solidly for a moment, meant neither to scold nor condescend. Henry didn't appear to be disappointed or frustrated by his mistake or the resulting injuries, he just seemed worried.

"Though I do hope you will endeavor to be more careful from now on," he continued in his same quiet manner. "I worry for you, my friend, and I confess that my concern often leads me to making rash decisions on your behalf."

Abe smiled softly, wincing as it strained against a bruise on his jaw, and nodded as much as he was able. "I'll be more careful. I promise."

"Good." The satisfaction in Henry's voice was palpable and the bed shifted just slightly as Henry brought the book back up. "Shall I continue reading, then?"

Abe nodded slightly and Henry shifted him just a bit so he was resting more comfortably against his shoulder. The wounds across his chest ached from the change in gravity but the rest of his body relaxed against the vampire's shoulder, his eyes growing heavy again as long fingers began carding their way through his hair absently.

"If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended; that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear."

Henry's voice and the way he spoke always brought back memories of his mother, the way she would speak to him late at night when he was just beginning to fall asleep, her soft, sweet voice leading him into the comforting embrace of dreams. It had taken a long time before Abe finally realized how much Henry reminded him of her and how easy it was to feel like he was home whenever the older man was around. He offered security and balance to Abe's hectic life and he never failed to restore both physical and mental order every time he was around. Abe briefly wondered if Henry was even aware of the impact he had on his life.

"And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream; gents do not reprehend, if you pardon, we will mend."

Henry's words were smooth and even, much the way they had been during their first encounter, and Abe could feel his eyes begin to slide closed again. His body sagged just a bit against the other man's side, limbs heavy and weighted down from illness and injury. He felt himself begin to slip to the side but one arm looped around his waist and kept him from toppling over. It was a rather intimate position, him cradled against Henry's side like a child, but Henry's presence was solid and grounding and Abe found that he didn't really care if their positions looked strange. He was comfortable, and Henry was here with him, and that's all that mattered.

"Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, we will make amends ere long; else the Puck a liar call, so goodnight unto you all."

Abe felt his eyes close even while Henry continued to read on into the next play, his voice a soothing lullaby in the quiet room. The opening lines to _Macbeth_ drifted over his head but he was already too far gone to hear them.

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**Hope you all liked it! One chapter left! :D**


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